Volunteers to search for missing pregnant woman

Search and rescue group will scour area for Jessie Davis, who was nine months pregnant when she disappeared last week.

Charita Goshay

The family of Jessie Marie Davis has secured help from a
Texas-based search and rescue group.

Tim Miller, founder of Texas EquuSearch, met with Stark County Sheriff’s
deputies and the FBI on Wednesday to secure approval for his group’s
involvement.

Miller, who started EquuSearch in 2000, was contacted by Davis’ sister
Whitney Davis and family attorney Rick Petinii.

“This is a big case for a small county,” Miller noted.

An unsuccessful search for Jessie Davis, who is nine months pregnant, was
conducted June 17, four days after she vanished.

On Wednesday morning, some EquuSearch staffers walked around the perimeter
of Davis’ duplex at 8686 Essex Ave. NW in Lake Township.

SEARCH TODAY

The latest search will begin about 8:30 Thursday. Miller is
bringing in searchers from Texas, but he also has asked for at least 150 volunteers. He’s bringing in a 2 1/2 -pound “drone” plane outfitted with a
high-resolution camera, and sonar equipment for water-based searches.

“We want as much information as we can get,” he said. “We won’t be doing any
investigating; just footwork. We hope she’s still alive, but realistically,
we know that after a period of time, that doesn’t always happen.”

Miller said that even if a person is dead, it’s important to recover their
remains as soon as possible to help determine the cause of death.

A building contractor by profession, Miller has no law enforcement training,
saying that he’s driven to help families of the missing because his own
daughter, Laura, was abducted and murdered in North Galveston County, Texas,
in 1984. Her body was recovered in 1986.

A PROMISE TO GOD

“We don’t have any different skills than anyone else has,” he said. “I
remember every second of those 17 months, until her (Laura’s) body was
found. I made a promise to God, to Laura and to myself that I would never
let another family go through that. God is our guide. That’s why we’re so
successful.”

Miller noted that EquuSearch, which has 350 volunteers across the country,
has conducted more than 700 searches. More than 300 people been safely
recovered.

“If at the end of the (first) day, we don’t find her, I won’t be
disappointed; it’s not the worst thing, because we’ll know where she’s not
at,” Miller said.

“We feel relieved,” Whitney Davis said. “We feel very confident they can
help us find Jessie and bring her home safe.”

WANT TO HELP?

People who plan to volunteer in Thursday’s search for Jessie Marie Davis
should:

- Wear comfortable clothing and shoes with sturdy soles.

- Bring bottled water or snacks.

- Wear protection from the elements, such as sunscreen, insect repellent,
hats, etc.